Lord Jagannath accompanied by His elder brother Baldev and sister Subhadra rode a beautiful chariot pulled by devotees on Hayden  Road in sultry heat of Arizona.

Conch shell was blown so beautifully by Pundit Ashwini Bakshi and singing, dancing in Bhanga style  and chanting was lead by ladies, children and adults- all carrying water bottles in one hand to stay cool and jumping in joy. Breaking of coconuts and Poojas were performed authentically by Priests Kameshwar Sharma and Pundit Satya Narayan Charyulu Ji in same manner as normally conducted  in Jagannath Puri Dham.
 
Highlight of the cultural programs:

Nishant Satapathy, nine years old with a passionate interest in Indian classical dance. He learned the dance not from a choreographer, but by a YouTube video from Odissi dancer Rahul Acharya. The dance began with an invocation to Lord Jagannath and ends with a song for Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. The dance was choreographed by Rahul Acharya and adapted by Nishant for his performance.

The next item was  Meera Dance by Tara Dash - a student of Padmashree Asha Gopal. It was followed by Odisi dance by two young girls Nitya Aggarwal and Swati Menon, from the Padma School of Odissi Dance who began  Ganesh Mangalacharan. It is an invocation to Lord Ganesha. This Odissi classical dance piece is taught by Rajul Shah and choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.

  The dance began with the offering flowers and a bhumipranam, or salutation to mother earth for allowing them to dance upon her. They proceeded to describe Ganesha. He sits under a tree. His mother, Uma, holds him in her arms. He has a large body, and a tusk like an elephant. His father, Shiva, holds him in his lap. Shiva has a snake around his neck. Lord Ganesha takes away your problems and gives you pure intellect. The dance concluded with a sabhipranam, or salutation to the gods, teachers, and audiences. Bhajans were sung by Anu Satpathi.Anamika Basu a classical vocal student of Manu Srivastava, sang "Vidura Ghara Ayo" and "Ram Nama Rasa Pijey"

Cool lassees- yoghurt shake and milk shake were served in the beginning and blessed food was served at the end.
 
The event was organized by Hindu Temple of Arizona and the Oriya Association of Orizona( changed from  Arizona)- for the eighth year in a row.